The present invention relates generally to the field of mobile devices, and more particularly to providing notification of proximity of a mobile device.
A mobile device is a computing device that is typically small enough to be handheld (e.g., a handheld computer, a smartphone, etc.). Mobile devices can include displays that are capable of receiving touch input. A mobile computing device has an operating system (OS) and can run various types of application software, known as apps. Many mobile computing devices are capable of communicating over a wireless network and can include near-field communication (NFC) and global positioning system (GPS) communication capabilities. These capabilities can allow connections to the Internet and other devices, such as an automobile or a microphone headset or can be used to provide location-based services. A camera or media player feature for video or music files can also be typically found on mobile computing devices, along with a battery power source. Increasingly, mobile computing devices also contain sensors like accelerometers, compasses, magnetometers, and/or gyroscopes, allowing detection of orientation and motion.
Location-based services (LBS) are a general class of computer program-level services that use location data to control features. As such, LBS is an information service and has a number of uses in social networking today as an entertainment service, which is accessible with mobile devices through the mobile network and which uses information on the geographical position of the mobile device. LBS are used in a variety of contexts, such as health, indoor object search, entertainment, work, personal life, etc. LBS include services to identify a location of a person or object, such as discovering the nearest banking cash machine or the whereabouts of a friend or employee. LBS include parcel tracking and vehicle tracking services.